999: Nine Hours, Nine Pirates, Nine Doors
by UltimateC3
Summary: Seek a door with a 9 on it. That is how many hours you have to escape. Now then…let the game begin. AU. Language, violence, you name it... Based off of the visual novel game 999. RATED M for MATURE
1. Starting Cabin

**A/N: **Hey everyone! I hope you're having an awesome day!

Here's the deal:

**1)** I probably won't be uploading this story much until I finish my other one, if I even decide to follow through with this, but who knows? Maybe I will… This first chapter is just a teaser of sorts.

**2)** This will be a spin-off (not sure if this is considered a crossover, but whatever) of the visual novel game: 999. If you're into video games like me, 'cuz I'm a nerd, I recommend you play it because it's awesome… I will simply be replacing its characters with the straw hats, so if you don't know anything about 999 (which I bet most of you don't), you can treat it as an AU or whatever. ALL RIGHTS, IDEAS, AND CHARACTERS GO TO THE CREATORS OF BOTH 999 AND ONE PIECE. I don't own anything. Please, credit them, not me.

**3)** The only thing 999 related in this story is the plot and setting, so none of the characters will be in this. As for the straw hats, I tried to match up their personalities with those of 999, but they'll still be a bit off. Unfortunately, there's not much I can do. All straw hats are post-timeskip EXCEPT Franky.

Brook...Brook's…_sniff_...Brook's not in this story! I'm sorry! I wanted one straw hat to sit out and I just couldn't fit Brook in… I'm sorry, Brook. I love you…

**4)** This story is rated M for a reason. (Language, violence, disturbing detail, NO LEMON! But there will be some moments...) (999 is an M-rated game)

**5)** This story follows the main character, in this case Luffy, so it will be in his point of view most of the time. (Just pretend you're Luffy!)

**6)** Thank you Eichiirio Oda and Kotaro Uchikoshi for your awesomeness.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or 999.

* * *

9…

8…

7…

6…

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

0

BOOM!

A loud noise startled Luffy awake, and his eyes snapped open. As they adjusted to the light, he realized that he didn't recognize his surroundings.

"Ow!" With a crack, Luffy's head connected with something metal. He rolled over and threw out his hand to steady himself, but he found himself groping at empty air. His balance lost, and his still-fuzzy mind struggling to understand what was going on, Luffy tumbled down to the cold, grey floor.

"OOUUCH! GOD DAMN IT! Gah! What the hell!?" Luffy glared around the room, still trying to determine where he'd woken up. The fall had shaken the last cobwebs of sleep from his mind, and finally he understood where he'd fallen from. It was a bed. A 3-level bunk bed, in fact. Luffy had fallen, apparently, from the topmost bunk. His shoulder hurt, his knee hurt, his hip hurt… His entire body hurt. He could feel a bump forming on his forehead, where he'd slammed it against the low ceiling. He wondered if that bump was the reason he felt his vision wavering a bit, but that seemed unlikely.

At first, he thought the tremor that ran through his legs was just another effect of his rude awakening, but as he looked around, he realized it was real… The whole room was shaking. He wondered if it was an earthquake. It didn't seem likely. It was shaking far too quickly for an earthquake. Then again, Luffy had no idea what it was, if not an earthquake. He tried to tell himself it was important.

Luffy rubbed the growing bump on his head and gingerly climbed to his feet. His balance regained, he finally took his first god look around the room…and muttered to himself.

"Where…am I…?" He gazed around the small, cabin-like room, noting the flimsy bunk bed, a sink,

His pain momentarily forgotten in the face of the confusion of his circumstances, Luffy looked around the room once again. Minutes passed while Luffy struggled to get his bearings. Then, as suddenly as they had begun, the tremors stopped. A cold silence fell over the room. From somewhere far away, Luffy could hear the sound of metal squeaking.

He felt his stomach tighten. There were a thousand things the sound could have been, but none of the things he could think of were good. In an attempt to distract himself, Luffy looked around the room once more. There was a stove that looked more antique than functional. The 3-level bunk bed had mattresses that were so thin that they were little more than blankets. On the other side of the room was an identical bed, and set in the wall between the beds was a slightly dirty iron door.

The first thing Luffy noticed about the door was the eerily sketched number roughly emblazoned across it. On the surface of the door, in red paint, someone had written…

5

"5? What's this 5 mean…?" Suspicious, and still utterly confused, Luffy approached the door, slowly. Standing in front of the door, Luffy grabbed hold of the L-shaped handle. A push yielded no movement, and a pull the same result. A few more tries cemented the truth in Luffy's mind: it wouldn't open. It didn't matter how much he pushed and shoved. The handle wouldn't budge.

Next to the door was an odd-looking device that reminded Luffy of a card scanner. Even Luffy could tell that it was the thing keeping the door shut. Luffy knocked, hard, on the door.

"Hey! Hello? Is anyone there!? Open the door!" he barked, continually banging on the hard, metal door.

There was no response. Luffy threw his left fist into the door —and stopped.

"What the hell is this…?" He wasn't really sure what else to say. On his left wrist was a bracelet of a sort he'd never seen before. In the center was a large LCD display. It looked like nothing else so much as a watch, but it clearly wasn't that. After all, it showed only a single, digital number.

"5… That's…that's the same as the door…" True, the numbers were the same, but he had no idea what that might mean. All he knew was that it was strange, and new, and he wanted it off. Luffy flipped his hand over, as if to remove a watch, but…

The other side of the bracelet was solid: no buckle, no clasp, nothing. He sighed, and flipped the thing back over. There were a number of rivets around the rim of the face. Perhaps…

*Click* *Click*

He pushed them, but nothing happened. On a watch, they might be dials for adjusting date or time, but on this bracelet they did nothing. Luffy was at a loss. What was he going to do? Growing more desperate, he started to tug at it. However…

"Urrrgh! Damn! Ugh! It's no good… Stupid thing won't come off!" A steel ring ran from the face, around Luffy's wrist, and back in to the face. He wouldn't be pulling the bracelet off any time in the near future.

"What is the deal with this thing!?" Frustration and desperation were beginning to mix as the reality of the situation began to dawn fully on Luffy. So much was happening, and none of it made sense. Luffy felt as though he were about to explode.

"Where am I!? And why am I here!? Why!? Why!?" It was at that moment that he noticed the window. The window was round, rimmed in riveted brass, like a window from an early century ship.

"What…? Wait… Am I in a ship?" Luffy walked toward the window. He could see nothing beyond it but thick, impenetrable darkness. Luffy squinted, trying to see something…anything… It was at that moment—

"What the—!? …You gotta be kidding me!" he complained, watching as the glass slowly cracked.

"What is going on here!?"

A crack split the glass of the window, and for a moment Luffy stared at it. Then the window burst, and water began to pour into the room.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Luffy yelled, and spun around. His sandaled feet feeling the water already coming through the window, he ran for the door.

"Hey! Anyone! Is anyone there!?" he yelled and banged desperately, "Come on, if you're there, say something!"

There was no reply. As Luffy screamed, and pounded on the door, the water began to rise. It was now ankle-deep on the floor, and rising quickly toward his knees. Things were not looking good for Luffy. Not good at all. He needed to find a way out—and fast!

Luffy ran a hand across his forehead, brushing the sweat out of his eyes, and looked around the room.

* * *

_SEEK A WAY OUT!_

Luffy looked around the room near the window. The water was rushing onto a small table just below the window, and next to it was a sink. In the corner of the room on the wall and ceiling were thin pipes running through the floor and ceiling.

"I know! I'll climb through the pipes to escape!" he grinned and snickered at his pathetic joke. He frowned afterwards, "There's no one here to laugh at my jokes… This sucks…"

He walked over in front of the sink and noticed a shelf above it with a small picture frame sitting on top. He picked it up to get a closer look. It was a faint picture of a large ship surrounded in fog. The frame had small screws in the back, clearly keeping it together. He put it back.

Above the shelf was a small bulletin board with a slip of paper stuck to it. He quickly snatched the paper and examined it. It showed two red right triangles, one solid and one outlined, on one side and the same blue triangles on the other side, these two facing different positions.

Luffy frantically put the slip of paper into his pocket and moved back into the middle of the room. He quickly began tearing the sheets and pillows off of each bed on one of the bunks and found a similar slip of paper underneath the lower pillow.

"Hey! It's just like the other one! Shishishishi…" he exclaimed happily. This slip had red and blue shapes as well, except each color had one square and one triangle. He turned towards the other bunk only to notice a blue suitcase on the bottom bed.

"This must be something important…" He tried to open, but to no avail. He frowned and looked at the keyhole near the handle, only to see a four slot combination lock with numbers zero through nine on each slot. A small keyhole was next to the slots.

"Guess I gotta find a key first…" He sighed, taking off his straw hat and scratching his head. He quickly searched the other beds with no luck before moving to the back corner of the room, across from the sink and window. The water was up to his knees, forcing him to practically leap across the room rather than walk.

He eyed the incredibly old stove and knelt down to it. Curiously, the black haired boy opened it, only to find a lone…screwdriver?

"What is this doing here?" he mused to himself. Shrugging, he took it and shoved it into his pocket.

An idea suddenly jolted through his young head, and he quickly sprinted back towards the sink. He grabbed the picture frame of the ship, turned it over, and smiled upon seeing the old screws. Luffy quickly unscrewed the frame and pulled the picture out. Turning the paper over, he saw ten shapes of squares and triangles with numbers next to each. Some of them were solid and some were outlined, just like the two slips he had found. Not able to make sense of it, he shoved the papers back into his pocket and continued searching.

On top of the stove was an ancient teapot, giving the stove's age a run for its money. He took the lid off and peered inside.

"Sweet! Shishishi…" he laughed upon seeing a blue key. "This must be to the suitcase!"

He eagerly turned to walk towards the suitcase but noticed a curtain hanging from the ceiling next to the stove. He flung it open, revealing an empty closet, and also revealing a red suitcase on a shelf.

"Another suitcase!? Ah man… Now I gotta find another key!" the boy yelled. He ran across the room towards the door, the only part he hadn't yet checked. He looked at the door again. The sloppy, red 5 seemingly glaring back at him. He looked at the card scanner thing next to it and saw a lever attached to the side of it.

"Maybe if I just pull this…!" he pulled, but the thing just made an insulting beeping noise and its small red light still glowing. The digital display showed nothing. He backed away and turned to the left, seeing a drape covering the corner of the wall. He pulled it up and saw a red key taped to a human-sized mirror.

Luffy grabbed the key and shoved it into his pocket happily. He intended to leave immediately, but… Something stopped him. His reflection stared back at him from the mirror, but he had scarcely recognized himself.

"Whoa… What happened to me?" His confusion was well-justified. His face was drawn and pale, and the dark circles under his eyes made him look as though he was nearly dead. His hair seen under his straw hat was messy and unkempt, and his red vest and shorts were disheveled.

"How did I end up here…?" Even as he said it, something in his mind opened, and a memory bobbed to the surface. It was the last thing Luffy remembered before waking up in the strange room.

* * *

_It was past midnight when he came home. Luffy shuffled through the door, not bothering to check if Ace was home. Inside was his house. A small, two-bedroom affair where he and his brother currently stayed in Foosha Village. He stepped inside his room and turned on the lights. They flickered slowly, as if waking from a deep slumber. Everything was as he'd left it. His bed a complete mess from the morning. His punching bag sitting in the corner, unhooked from the ceiling. His other pair of clothes forgotten on his floor. _

_There was a breeze. Breaths of cold night air wafted into his room, carrying the smells of autumn with them. The white curtain framing his window swayed gently in the wind._

"_Huh… That's weird… I don't remember leaving that open…" Luffy walked towards the window, guessing it was Ace. He stuck his head out and looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Luffy shrugged and closed the window._

_Then it happened._

_Luffy turned, and found himself face to mask with a man dressed all in black. The man wore a deep hood, and a bulky gas mask—his face entirely hidden. Luffy grit his teeth before pulling his arm back for a punch, but his legs could no longer support his weight._

_Luffy collapsed to the floor—a crumpled heap of limbs, like a discarded, rubber puppet._

_Too late, he noticed the white smoke that was quickly filling the room. A small object, shaped distressingly like a shell, sat on the floor in front of his face, hissing. The white smoke poured out of it at an incredible rate. The smoke had grown so thick that the details of Luffy's room began to fade into the white haze. He could feel his mind begin to fade as well, a white haze that was not the smoke creeping into the edges of his vision. Ace…no…_

"_Consider this a privilege. You have been chosen," a rasping voice wormed its way out of the mask. It was cold and harsh, and distorted in some way Luffy couldn't put his finger on._

"_You are going to participate in a game. The Nonary Game. It is a game…where you will put your life on the line."_

* * *

That was the last thing Luffy remembered. The white smoke overpowered him, the masked man faded from his vision, and he felt his consciousness fall away into the white mist.

"That's right! That bastard with the mask! When I get out of here I'm going to kick his ass!" Who's ass he was going to kick, he wasn't quite sure. Indeed, he wasn't even sure that his assailants had been a man. The voice had been cold and mechanical—likely passed through a voice-changer—and the body had been covered in a thick cloak.

Who was the man in the mask?

'_You have been chosen."_

Luffy remembered that much, but… What it might mean was beyond him.

Luffy had no idea where he was or why he was there.

"The Nonary Game, huh…? What the hell does that mean? Sounds stupid to me…" he grumbled.

He backed away from the mirror, the water almost up to his waist. He grabbed hold of everything in his pocket and waded over to the blue suitcase.

"Forget that stupid mask guy! I gotta get out of here first!" he panicked and juggled for the blue key in his hand. Putting the key into the key hole, he twisted and turned it but got nowhere. He pouted and looked at the four number slots. He laid the slips of paper out on the bottom bed, the water almost reaching it. The two slips of paper had two blue shapes on each of them. One had two blue shapes on the left and the other had them on the right, both with an arrow pointing from left to right.

He creased his forehead in deep thought, distorting his face into an unnatural thinking position. He eyed the back of the ship picture, seeing the filled and outlined shapes with numbers next to them. After a few minutes, he grinned and snapped his fingers together.

"That's it! I just match the shapes on the slips with their numbers, and that should be the four digit code!" He smiled, hoping his plan would work. He compared the slips' shapes to the ones on the picture and matched their numbers, coming away with 0263. He eagerly punched the numbers in the slots.

"Alright, now I just have to turn the key and…hey, looks like it's working! Yahoo! Let's open it up!" he laughed. He opened the suitcase and found a red book.

"What!? A book! That's it!?" he complained, picking up the book and opening it.

"Well, let's see what's in this stupid thing…" he talked to himself before reading the first page aloud.

_Digital Root. Compute a digital root with the following steps: First, add all the numbers in question to one another. If you end up with something greater than a single-digit number, add the digits to one another. Keep adding digits in this manner until you have a single digit answer. That final single digit is you digital root._

_Ex: The digital root of 6, 7, and 8 would be…_

_ 6 + 7 + 8 = 21 ; 2+1 = 3_

_Therefore, the digital root of 6, 7, and 8 is 3._

_Ex: The digital root of 1, 2, 3, and 4 would be…_

_ 1 +2 +3 +4 = 10 ; 1 + 0 = 1_

_Therefore, the digital root of 1, 2, 3, and 4 is 1._

After reading it about five times, Luffy rubbed his chin in understanding.

"A mystery root…" he joked with himself. "So I just keep adding numbers until I get a single digit number… I hate math…" the boy pouted, before turning the book over.

"Hey, there's some stuff in the back! Some paper, a pencil, a calculator, and…a stack of blue cards? They say 'key cards' on them… Whatever that means…"

Luffy stuffed the notebook into his vest and ran back over to the red suitcase in the closet. Following the shape key and the slips of paper, he came out with a code of 7485. He punched them in and turned the key.

"Yeah! It worked!" He quickly opened it to see an entirely empty case, save for a stack of red cards.

"Not more cards! These say 'key cards' too…" He put the stack of red, numbered cards into his pocket and quickly looked back around the room, the water now up to his waist.

"Uhh… Now what!? I already checked everywhere! What am I supposed to do!?" He nervously panicked before 'swimming' to the door. Luffy looked at the card reader and quickly pulled out his cards.

"I guess I'll just swipe some of these…" he stated, swiping the first red card he saw in his hand. He swiped it as a red asterisk appeared on the scanner, and pulled the lever. Nothing happened, save for the insulting beep again.

"Gah! Why isn't this working!? I'm gonna kick this thing's ass!" He yelled punching it. He quickly looked down to the pile of red and blue numbered cards in his hand. He concentrated and thought back to the page in the notebook he just read. The digital root… To find the digital root, add up all the numbers…

The digital root of what?

He looked to his side, gazing at the ugly red 5 on the door.

The digital root of 5?

"Uhh… So… I have to add some numbers to give me 5? Uh… What is that…" he thought, counting on his fingers clumsily, "Let's see… carry the one…and the… Uh… What is that, like 6 and 3 or something?" He smacked his head. That wasn't right. He hadn't done math in…forever, really. Shanks taught him some basic stuff, but he couldn't remember very well.

His face shined brightly as he whipped out the small calculator from the book. His fingers worked at the speed of light, plugging in any possibilities of numbers that would get him 5.

"Aha! That's it! 4 and 1! How could I forget!?" He smiled, grabbing the 4 and 1 cards from the pile and scanning them. Two asterisks now appeared on the scanner and he pulled the lever.

Damn that beep…

"Why didn't that work!?"

Maybe he did his math wrong? Back to the calculator…

He plugged in numbers as he felt the water rise ever more.

"Let's see… 7 + 6 + 1 = 14… 1 + 4 = 5" he calculated, "That's the same that I had before, but it's worth a shot…" He swiped the three numbered cards, revealing three asterisks, and pulled the lever. The red light turned blue and beeped a higher pitched, more positive, noise.

"Wha-What happened!? Did it work!? The light's blue and it sounded like it did! Time to get out of here!" Luffy screamed and clutched the door latch as hard as he could.

This was it.

The lever turned and the door creaked open…

* * *

**A/N:** Hooray! Done! Weird, right? It'll only get better from here on out, trust me!

Some reviews would definitely make me update faster... How 'bout it?

Hahaha... See y'all next time!


	2. The Nonary Game

**A/N:** Okaaaay... Never mind. I guess I am updating this story. Two chapters in two days!? This is madness!

This is actually pretty easy to write, since I don't have to create the plot on my own...

Here we go, chapter 2!

I don't own One Piece or 999.

* * *

This was it.

The lever turned and the door creaked open.

Aaccompanied by a wall of angry water, Luffy shot out of the room and into the opposing wall. Gasping to catch his breath, he looked around. He was in a narrow hallway. The water that had followed him out of the room was rapidly pouring out of the door. It flowed quickly down the hallway, and slammed ino the foot of the short flight of stairs. Just 5 steps in fact. And at the top of this short staircase…

"A door! Another door!"

Luffy leapt up the stairs, straight for the door. The door burst open, and Luffy exploded out of it, only to freeze in his tracks. What other possible response could there have been to what he saw?

"Wha...what the hell...?"

His voice trailed off, and all he could do was stare. A polished floor stretched out before him, ornate staircases rising up from the edges, each one of them equidistant from the others. The wide stair case was split by a luxurious railing, before splitting off into two different staircases, each leading up in the opposite direction. The stairs and pillars were solid wood, and Art Nouveau embellishments and decorations covered the walls and pillars. It looked like nothing so much as the entrance to a luxurious mansion from the early times.

Luffy couldn't help but wonder... Was he really in a ship?

The water quickly filling the hallway behind him suggested that yes, he was. As he looked, a fresh wave rolled out of the room he'd been in, gathering speed as it moved toward the stairs.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. This is totally a bo— Wait, what the… A wave!?" Luffy looked in the hallway at the wave quickly speeding towards him, "I gotta get outta here!"

Luffy spun around, his wet sandals squeaking in protest on the polished floor, and ran toward the tremendous staircase in front of him.

C Deck

B Deck

As he ran, he glanced quickly at the plates mounted on the wall, denoting the decks of the ship. He took the stairs 2 at a time, not entirely sure where he would find himself. Just as he began to wonder where, in fact, the stairs did lead...

Luffy saw another person out of the corner of his eye. He stopped short, nearly tripping over the next stair, and looked. It wasn't just 1 person he'd seen... On the landing to the left of the stairs, there were 4 people staring at him... And on the right side, 3 more. All told, there were 7 of them.

It looked as though they had been on their way down the stairs. They'd stopped short when they saw Luffy, their eyes wide. He'd done the same of course, and now they stood there staring at one another. Luffy didn't move, one foot placed awkwardly on the next step, in the middle of a stride. Who were these people? This entire interaction lasted only a matter of seconds. The woman spoke to Luffy, and time began to move again.

"I suppose there's another one of us now."

Luffy looked at the woman. Her long, black hair fell loosely down her back and she wore a long, pink skirt with a partially-zipped purple leather vest with a V-neck line, exposing much more than Luffy was accustomed to. The leather vest exposed her stomach, and she wore pink high heels and sunglasses on her head.

"Hey, come on… We have to hurry," her soft voice told him.

With no further ceremony, she ran, straight past Luffy and toward the doors behind him. The sudden proximity of a woman with such striking assets left Luffy momentarily stunned...

...But the others wasted no time, and quickly followed the strange woman. The first to pass Luffy was a young man with blonde hair, dressed from head to toe in a formal suit. His long, blonde hair covered one of his eyes, and slightly overgrown stubble could be seen on his chin and upper lip. He threw a quick glance in Luffy's direction as he ran, muttering...

"Hmph. One of us, huh...?"

Following him was an older man, his face calm and without fear. His eyes hidden behind triangular shades and his blue pompadour flowing as he moved. He wore an open Hawaiian shirt, revealing his surprisingly toned chest, and a black speedo to go along with it. Luffy stared back at the odd man, noticing his strange, metal nose and oddly shaped chin, but quickly forgot about it.

"Going up won't do you any good! There are two doors, but neither of them will open!"

The next to speak was a…raccoon dog? No, that wasn't right. He had a blue nose and wore a pink hat over his antlers. He must be some sort of deer. Luffy was too shocked to ask questions.

"Come on! Aren't you coming? You gotta hurry!" His high-pitched voice squeaked at Luffy. His small hoof was held by the hand of another man…

His eyes were hidden behind a pair of unusual goggles. His nose outstretched the usual size of a human nose, and his curly black hair reached down to his shoulders. He sported a small goatee and wore a strange pair of yellow pants and a white t-shirt, with a pair of suspenders fitting around his shoulders. He was odd, to say the least…

"That's nine of us, then. All of the cards are in hand," he spoke. Luffy had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. He opened his mouth to ask what the man had meant, but the deer rushed past him, and they were gone.

He turned just in time to see two more people running toward him. One of them had spiky black hair and wore an extremely odd pair of glasses, almost like goggles, which covered his two eyes completely and jutted out slightly, like sites on a gun. He said nothing, and scuttled past Luffy as though he were running from something…

The other was a veritable wall of a man, his green hair pushed back across his head. A large scar ran down his left eye, shutting it completely, and he wore an open, dark-green robe, enclosed by a red sash at his waist. His muscular chest was revealed by his open coat and his steps were loud and heavy. He was intimidating…

"Hey! What the hell are you just standing there for!? Didn't you hear him?!" The man roared. Luffy hesitated in front of him.

"The doors on A Deck are no good! We gotta check those on B Deck! Got it!? Now GO!" Before he had a chance to respond, the man laid a large hand on Luffy's shoulder. With no more effort than Luffy would have used to brush aside a fly, the man shoved him out of the way.

"Whoa…!" Thrown off-balance by the man and recent events, it took Luffy a few steps to get his bearings. He finally regained his balance and looked up, at what the other seven had been running toward. There were two pairs of large iron doors set into the wall in front of him. They looked quite sturdy, and each had handles jutting from them. Written across the surface of each door in red paint was a number.

The door on the right had a 4.

And the door on the left had a 5.

"They're the same…" The blonde-haired man mumbled to himself. "The room I woke up in had a number on the door, just like that." He explained.

"You too, eh?" The blue-haired, Hawaiian man said. "My cell was the same. Had a number on it just like these. I opened it, ran down the hallway outside, and found myself in the grand room full of stairs. I guess the rest of you did too…"

It was as though the floodgates had been opened—they all began to talk at once.

"Me too."

"I did too."

"Yeah, a door with a number on it."

"This sure is odd…"

It soon became clear that each one of them had awoken in a room with a locked door, and solved a puzzle to escape. They'd all ended up in the same room… Almost as though they'd been guided there…

"Yes, we all saw the same thing! That's not important! We've gotta get the hell outta here!" Yelled the green-haired man.

"Ya think I don't know that, moss head!?"

Before the green-haired man had time to retort, the blonde was already running. He grabbed hold of the door labeled 5 and pulled. However…

"Damn it! It's not opening! This damn thing won't even budge!"

"Move. You're in the way." The muscular, robed man grabbed the blonde's shoulder and pushed him aside. His path cleared, he took a few steps back, then threw himself at the door.

*BAM* Once…

*BAM* Twice…

*BAM* 3 times…

*BAM* 4 times…

The door shook as his body slammed into it, but showed no signs of breaking or opening. The man threw himself at it again.

Luffy turned toward door 4. Next to the door, on the wall, was a small box. It looked just like the one that he'd seen in his room, next to that door. The only difference being a large, circular touch pad on its surface, about the size of his hand. If it _was_ the same, then this door was likely locked as well…

Still, he had to check…

Luffy grabbed a handle and threw all of his weight onto it.

"RRRRRRRGGGHH! Gah…!" It was locked as tight as the door next to it. "Damn it!"

Luffy punched the door. It did not respond. He wondered if these were the only doors. The others were watching as both the green-haired man and the blue-haired Hawaiian man tried to break the door down. He'd barely finished the thought when the C Deck plate he'd passed on his way up sprang, unbidden, to his mind. His body moved before he had time to think. Luffy turned, and ran back toward the stairs. He had scarcely taken a step, when—

At the top of the stairs, next to an ornate clock embedded in the wall, he saw a person. It was a girl. She looked to be the same age as Luffy. He froze, unable to look away from her face. He wasn't confounded by her beauty, or something equally foreign to him... No, there was another reason he couldn't take his eyes off the girl. Luffy had seen her somewhere before. He couldn't quite remember where, but he knew... He knew he'd met her before. The girl, too, stared at Luffy, similarly stunned. Her response suggested she'd seen him before as well.

Without saying a word, Luffy walked slowly up the stairs toward her. She didn't move. It was almost as though she was held in place by some sort magic spell. As Luffy stepped onto her landing, the spell broke. No sooner had he set his foot down, than the whole ship shook a second time.

"Aah!"

The quake caught the girl unprepared, and she fell. Moving on instinct, Luffy leapt to catch her... Or so he thought.

Her face was far closer than it should have been; mere inches from his own. He was flat on his back, and she had landed squarely on top of him. The girl seemed as confused as he did, and her face suggested she still hadn't fully recovered from seeing him. For a moment that seemed to stretch for a very long time, they stared at one another. The ship stopped shaking. Everything was quiet. The others stopped and looked behind them. Water could be heard from the bottom of the ship, lapping faintly at walls and ceilings, but eventually that faded as well. The silence was complete, a thick, muffling blanket... At last, the girl opened her mouth.

"L-Luffy…? Is that you?" Her words echoed through his head, and suddenly, his memory returned.

"N-Nami!?"

Why hadn't he realized it before? The girl was Nami. She and Luffy met some years ago when he and his brother had been sailing around aimlessly. They ended up saving her hometown from a group of ruthless pirates, and he and Nami had become fast friends.

But that was a few years ago… What was she doing on this ship? Her orange hair fell down around her head. It had grown since the last he saw her, and her eyes looked more beautiful than ever. He could feel his face heating up.

At that moment…

A speaker crackled to life, and a cold, eerie voice filled the room.

"Welcome aboard. I welcome you all, from the bottom of my heart, to this, my vessel."

With the voice's invasion, the spell between Luffy and Nami was broken, and all hints of burgeoning romance instantly forgotten. They hurriedly untangled themselves from one another, and struggle to their feet. Their seven companions had heard the voice as well, and many of their face had gone pale or tensed in anger.

They looked around frantically, desperate to locate the source of the voice. At last they found it… A speaker set in the ceiling's corner.

"I am Zero… The captain of this ship. I am also the person who invited you here." The voice was harsh, obscured occasionally by the crackle of static…

…But Luffy recognized it. How could he have forgotten it?

It was the same voice he had heard from the masked man.

"Hey! Asshole! What the hell is this?!" The blonde angrily yelled. "C'mon out here! I wanna get a good look at you!"

"What are you planning to do with us?!" The Hawaiian man spoke.

"I mean to have you participate in a game. Some of you, I know, are familiar with this game." The voice continued. "The Nonary Game. It is a game…where you will put your life on the line."

"Nonary Game…?" The raven-haired woman mused.

"What the hell's that!?" Roared the green-haired man.

"The rules of the Nonary Game can be found upon your persons. They are simple rules. Read them."

"Hey… There's something in my pocket… Check this out." The suited man reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small slip of paper. The rest of them reached into their own pockets, and pulled out similar slips of paper.

Luffy followed suit, and dug into the pocket of his shorts. He felt the crumple of paper, slightly damp from his earlier ordeal.

"Hey, I got one too!"

"It seems this Zero guy gave each of us a letter…" Spoke the Hawaiian man. "Do you mind reading it to us, kid?" he asked. Luffy, after a short moment of surprise, did as he'd been asked.

"On this ship, you will find a handful of doors emb…embl…?"

"Emblazoned…" the tall woman offered. The green-haired man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Emblazoned with numbers. We will call them the numbered doors. The doors in front of you are a pair of the same. The key to opening these numbered doors are the numbered bracelets that each of you possess. Should you total the numbers on your numbered bracelets and find that the digital root of that number is equal to the number of that door, the door will open. Only those who have opened the door may pass through. There are, however, limits. Only 3-5 people can pass through one numbered door. All those who enter must leave, and all who enter must contribute."

Bracelet, Luffy figured, had to mean the bulky thing on his wrist. He glanced around. It looked like everyone else had one as well, and had come to much the same conclusion.

"The purpose of this game is simple. Leave this ship alive. It is hidden, but an exit can be found." He continued to read.

"Seek a way out… Seek a door that carries a 9."

* * *

**A/N:** Dun dun dun!

Hopefully this isn't _too _ confusing. If it is, don't worry, 'cuz it'll all make sense sooner or later.

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! :)


	3. The 9th Man

**A/N: **Hooray! Chapter 3! Well, at first I didn't think I was going to even continue this story, but you guys seem to be excited, so now I'm excited AND I'M WRITING FAST!

I don't own One Piece or 999.

**WARNING:** This chapter is probably the worst chapter, rating wise, in this whole story. I would honestly classify it as HORROR, because it's pretty bad. PLEASE do not read if you're not comfortable with descriptive and disturbing events! Even writing this chapter gave me the creeps...

P.S. I put some links to a few screenshots on my profile. They may help you _visualize_ some stuff if you're having trouble, because there's been a lot of detail so far. Hopefully they're good for something... I'll put more up as we get farther into the story. (They're not really a big deal)

* * *

Luffy had reached the end of the letter. There was a long moment of silence, and then the speaker crackled to life once more.

"There is one last thing I must tell you. As you have no doubt surmised, this ship has begun to sink. On a day much like this one, almost twenty years ago, the famous pirate ship, the Oro Jackson, was mysteriously sabotaged. After remaining afloat for two hours and forty minutes, it sank beneath the waters of the New World. I will give you more time. 9 hours. That is the time you will be given to make your escape."

The voice finished, and the speaker went silent. The sound of a bell tolling echoed through the hall.

It came from the dance hall adjacent to the stairwell. It took those assembled on the stairs mere moments to trace the sound to an antique clock embedded in the wall.

7...8...9...

The sound of the 9th bell faded away. The 10th never came. That meant the time was 9 o'clock. Most likely 9 o'clock in the evening. When Luffy had peered out the window of his cell, he'd seen nothing but blackness. It had to be nighttime. If that was the case, then they would need to escape by 6 AM the following day...

"Now, it is time. Let our game begin. I wish you all the best of luck."

The speaker went silent, and did not speak again. The green-haired man yelled at the speaker with language coarse enough to embarrass a sailor, but the rest of Luffy's companions were silent, deep in thought.

Luffy, too, was consumed by his thoughts. There was a great deal he didn't understand, among all else.

Who was Zero?

What was the Nonary Game? Why had he chosen to make them part of it?

Was he a criminal who took delight in playing with is victims? Or did he have some other purpose?

And why had Luffy been chosen as part of this insane game?

Why had any of them been chosen?

Luffy was a pirate. He hadn't been able to band a crew together yet…but was that why he was chosen? Were these other people pirates?

One question was foremost on his mind…

Nami.

They hadn't seen one another since the defeat of the Arlong pirates back in the East Blue. Why had she appeared now?

Coincidence?

No. That seemed impossible. The world was a giant place. There had to be a reason. He had no idea what it could be, but there had to be a reason.

"Well then…" the Hawaiian man's voice seemed oddly loud in the silence. "Standing around here won't do us any good. Best we get moving, don't you think?"

"…Get moving?" Luffy asked.

"Are you planning to open the numbered doors?" Nami spoke up.

"Hey, wait! Don't tell me you're actually going to do what this…this Zero says?!" The suited man argued.

"Hold on there, that's not what I mean." The Hawaiian man shook his head, mildly annoyed. "I'm saying let's find another way. After all, we haven't really looked around this place yet."

"He's right…" the black-haired woman agreed.

The green-haired man frowned, "Well, what the hell are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Their separate investigations finished, all nine people returned to where they'd left one another, about fifteen minutes later. The result of their work was…nothing. They were completely sealed in. Their hard work had not gone completely to waste, however.

They had learned a number of things as they'd scoured the parts of the ship they could reach. It seemed that they were confined to decks A through C. C Deck was as far down as they would be able to go, however. The reason being... That D Deck was completely submerged. Strangely, however, the water had risen no higher than D Deck. The flow seemed to have been stopped somehow, as evidenced by the surface of the water on D Deck, which was as smooth as glass. The long-nosed man knelt down and gently drew his hand across it.

"Perhaps this Zero guy has used some sort of remote control to seal a watertight door lower down… He said that our time limit was 9 hours. In other words, this water won't rise for 9 hours."

"So you're saying we won't sink 'til then?" The dangerous looking man questioned. The mature woman looked towards the man with green hair.

"Well, that may be a little too optimistic. No point to wishful thinking…"

The man frowned.

There were three metal doors on C Deck. A single door stood off to the side, with two more on the wall facing the central staircase.

None of them had numbers, or verification devices. They were, however, locked like the other doors. No matter how much they pushed and shoved, the doors refused to move. The green and blue haired men threw themselves against them a few times, but to no avail. The door in the back had a keyhole. Just above it was a strange mark in the shape of a circle surrounding a dot. There were two other doors on C Deck as well, but it was clear they were elevators, as each had a button next to it with an upside-down triangle. They tried pushing the button. No response. Apparently there was no power running to the elevators. To the left of the elevator doors was a card reader. The card reader also had a strange mark on it. It looked like a lower-case "h" with a dash drawn across the upper stem of the "h". Luffy stared at it for a while.

"This is the symbol of Saturn. It's an astrological symbol." Nami told him.

"Oh… Well, what's the mark on the other door?"

"I think that was the Sun symbol."

They had seen the same symbols on A Deck. There was a door on either side of the stairs. The one on the left had a keyhole with a similar symbol engraved on it.

"That's an Earth symbol. The horizontal line symbolizes the Grand Line and the vertical one represents the Red Line."

Luffy looked up at the ceiling. There was a great circle cut in it, perhaps for a skylight or a glass dome, but it had been filled with a gargantuan metal plate. The metal looked very solid. Anything short of an explosive charge was unlikely to damage it. There were several windows along both sides of the ship—or at least there had been. They, too, were covered with metal plates. In other words…

"We're trapped. All the exits go nowhere…" Luffy thought. He was not happy. The small deer spoke up.

"Well, I'm sure they go somewhere. We just can't open them." Then the green-haired man spoke.

"You don't know that. For all we know, they just open into walls, or take us in circles."

Long nose didn't seem to agree, "No, I'm sure they go somewhere. Otherwise, what point would there be? And we can open them. Well, two of them, at least."

"You mean the numbered doors…?" All eyes turned toward the doors with numbers on them. The atmosphere in the room grew tense.

"Hang on a 'sec. I think I said this earlier, but I don't think we should do that." The suited blonde moved in front of the doors, as if to block them. "We'd have to be crazy to open these doors. If we do that, we're doing exactly what Zero wants us to do."

Suddenly, everyone began to speak at once.

"I agree!"

"I don't! That's a terrible idea!"

"We should keep going."

"We should just stay here!"

"What the hell is that going to do!?"

"We should just wait. Someone's bound to come find us!"

"There's no time for that!"

"In eight and a half hours, this ship is going to sink!"

The clamor of voices made it next to impossible to determine who was saying what. Their arguments grew more and more intense, until people were shouting and screaming at one another.

"Fuck you, swirly brow! If you wanna sit here and sink, that's fine by me!" The dangerous man roared.

The blonde grit his teeth at the man, "Well if you want to walk straight into the hands of the fuckin' maniac who kidnapped us, you're more than welcome to, fucking marimo!"

The two men were about to punch each other's lights out. The deer and long-nosed man held back the blonde as the raven-haired woman calmed the other man down. Luffy had remained silent, but at last he could take no more.

"HEY! SHUT _UP_!" They fell silent, and all eyes turned to Luffy. He felt each stare burning into him, but he refused to flinch.

"Before we try and decide where we're going to go, there's something else we oughta do."

"What's that?" The cute deer asked.

"We don't know anything about each other. I wanna know who you guys are…" Luffy surveyed the motley group. "I wanna know who you are, where you came from, and why you're here…" He tilted his hat over his eyes, casting a shadow over his face.

Then he looked up with a bright and happy grin, "Don't tell me you aren't curious too…!?"

They were silent.

Some of them looked the other way, or bit their lip, or crossed their arms and frowned. But one of them spoke up. It was Nami.

"I agree. I think Luffy is right."

The dangerous looking man frowned, "Luffy?"

"Oh! Uhh… I'm talking about him…" Nami pointed to Luffy nervously. "His name is Luffy. We know each other. I met him a few years ago…"

"Hang on! STOP!" the man yelled, startling Nami. "Don't tell us stuff we didn't ask you about! Zero's probably watching us right now. What're you gonna do if he's listening in?"

"Would…that be bad?" the deer spoke up.

"Hell yeah, it would! We don't know how much that bastard knows about us. Maybe he just picked a bunch of random people to kidnap. If that _is_ the case, then it'd be dangerous for us to let him know too much. If Zero knows who we are, he could hold things against us." Everyone listened intently to the green-haired man.

"He's definitely got a point…" The raven-haired beauty agreed.

"But…we still need to know what our names are…" Nami mumbled. "It's going to be hard to talk to each other if we don't have names."

"I don't give a damn what that bastard does. My name's Sanji." The blonde, suited man boldly told the group. Everyone looked at him in surprise, before nodding their heads in understanding. "I've got bracelet number 3," He said, showing the rest the number on his wrist.

"_Sigh…_ Fine... You can call me Zoro." The rest turned to the one-eyed man who had his arms crossed and a thick scowl on his face. "I'm number 7," he growled, not bothering to show or hide his bracelet.

"I'm Robin," the mature woman next to him smiled, waving her hand to the rest. "I have number 8."

"My bracelet number is 1," the Hawaiian man said from the other side of the group. "I go by Franky."

"My name's Usopp," the long-nosed man said, thrusting out his left arm. "My bracelet number is 2." Everyone looked at him in confirmation, and he frowned. "I should probably tell you all something." Chopper looked up next to him. "I'm blind."

...

Blind? Really?

He had dark goggles on, covering his eyes, but most had thought that's all they were. To hear it said so casually… It was something of a surprise. Everyone seemed a little nervous at the man's proclamation, but no one seemed to know how to react to it. There was one…animal, however, who didn't seem to be surprised in the least.

"I'm Chopper!" The deer exclaimed happily to the group. "I have number 4! Like a 4-leaf clover! That's good luck, right?" Everyone looked at the deer's bracelet and smiled.

The raven-haired woman, Robin, chuckled at the deer, "It is... It seems you and Mr. Scowl here have luck on your sides..." she said, pointing to the green-haired, frowning man next to her.

"Oi!" he exclaimed at the woman before crossing his arms over his chest, "I don't need luck..." She laughed at him, and everyone else smiled at the stubborn man.

They'd come around to Luffy. He held out his bracelet…

"I'm number 5. My name's Monkey D. Luffy. You can just call me Luffy." He told them. Nami stepped forward next to him and grinned.

"I'm Nami. I've got number 6."

With their names taken care of, Luffy quickly ran over them in his head.

1 was Franky.

2 was Usopp.

3 was Sanji.

4 was Chopper.

5 was his number.

6 was Nami.

7 was Zoro.

And 8 was Robin.

That meant that 8 of them, including Luffy, had revealed their bracelet numbers. But there was still one person left…

He was the man with the odd glasses and spiky, black hair. He hadn't said anything since they'd met on the stairs, and he didn't look like the sort of person who was inclined to conversation. His skin was pale, his breathing was heavy, and he was soaked with nervous sweat. His behavior seemed very suspicious, or perhaps simply emotionally unstable. It was difficult to tell. Whatever the case, it seemed clear that he had only a fingertip's-worth of a grip on his sanity. The deer, Chopper, walked up to him, slowly. He tilted his head and eyed him suspiciously.

"What number are you?" He asked, but the man didn't answer. His goggle covered eyes twitched from person to person, and his breath came in hot pants.

"Hey, mister, what's your—"

The man licked his dry lips with a shaking tongue and spoke with a raspy, old voice. "I-I-Isn't it o-obvious? There are 9 people here. A-A-And you know who numbers 1 through 8 are. I'm th-the only o-one left."

"So you're 9?"

"Y-Y-Yeah…"

He extended a trembling arm. The bracelet said 9 and the rest eyed it suspiciously. Chopper looked back at him.

"What's your name?"

"N-N-Name?"

"Yeah… What do you want us to call you? We all said ours, you should too."

"I-I-I don't need to…"

"Why not?"

"B-B-Because I'm n-not going to stay here… W-With you." He took a shuddering breath and exhaled. Zoro looked at him with something very close to disgust.

"You've got some sorta plan?" He spat at the man.

"I-I-I do…"

"Really? What is it?" Chopper asked.

"Y-Y-You sure you w-want to know?" Robin narrowed her eyes at the man. Nami took a step away.

"Yeah…?"

"A-All right. Let me sh-show you. I-I-I-I'm going to do _this!_"

By the time they realized what he was doing, it was too late to stop him. The man's body moved like a snake's. In the blink of an eye, he had picked up the deer and wrapped his arm around his stomach.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing!?" Sanji leapt forward, toward Chopper and the 9th Man. He was halfway there, when—

"S-Stay back!"

Suddenly the man's hand dove into his pocket. It came back out with a knife. A pocketknife. He held it to Chopper's pale, quivering neck.

"I-I-If you g-get any closer—! I-I'll cut this _thing_ open!"

Sanji skidded to a halt. He snarled at the insane man with the knife and gritted his teeth.

"Y-Yes, that's right…" The man's smile was neither friendly nor reassuring. Sweat poured down his neck, soaking the collar of his shirt.

"Chopper…! Are you all right!?" Usopp's voice sounded oddly concerned. There was a look of worry on his oblivious face.

"Y-Yeah… I'm fine…" His voice shook, making his words even less convincing.

"What the hell are you trying to do?!" Luffy screamed at the man.

"I-I told you… This is my plan…"

"What are you gonna do to him, you sick son-of-a-bitch?" Zoro's voice boomed at the shaky man.

"D-D-Don't worry… I-I'm not going to d-do anything to him… If he just does what I t-tell him to, I'll let him go." He started to move backward, slowly, keeping his grip on Chopper. Keeping their distance, Luffy and the others followed. Eventually, the man reached the wall. He gave a start as his back touched it, then glanced around quickly and spoke.

"V-V-Verify…"

"Huh?"

"The left. Look on your left. D-Do you see the device on the wall?" Chopper looked where he was told and found the scanner next to one of the numbered doors.

"P-Place your hand on the scanner panel, the round part."

"A-And what if I don't?"

The man's nostrils flared and he looked like he was about to choke, "A-A-Are you an idiot?! W-What do you think?! I c-c-could slit your throat right now! I'll kill you if I have to! A-All I need is your bracelet!"

"…"

"Just do it! D-Do it now!" He pressed the knife against Chopper's neck, hard. Slowly, he stretched his left hoof out toward the device. His back was to it, and he had to feel around for a moment before he found the circular panel.

It made a cold, electronic noise, and on the display above his hoof, an asterisk appeared.

'_So that's how it works…'_ Luffy thought to himself. By placing one's palm on what the 9th Man had called the 'scanner panel', the user's bracelet number would be entered into the device.

"_Should you total the numbers on your numbered bracelets…and find that the digital root of that number is equal to the number of that door, the door will open."_ He remembered Zero say.

Luffy shifted his eyes to the door itself. The number on it was a 5. The 9th Man seemed to know a little more about the device's operation than he should. How had he known exactly what to do?

"Good… Good, you're done. N-N-Next…" His hidden eyes crept from person to person until finally—they stopped on Franky.

"You, right? You're the one with the number 1 bracelet, right?"

Franky eyed him suspiciously, "Yes. I am. So?"

"Th-Then y-you're next… Just verify your number like this little thing did."

"…"

"What are you doing?! D-Do it! D-Don't you care what h-happens to him?!"

"O-Okay, okay. Just calm down…" Franky held up his hands, palms out. The 9th Man jerked his chin toward the device. Slowly, cautiously, Franky moved toward the device. After what seemed like an agonizing eternity, he reached it.

"Now… Verify."

Franky nodded and placed his hand on the scanner panel. The device beeped again, and a second asterisk appeared. Now the device had Chopper and Franky's numbers.

4 and 1.

4 + 1 = 5

The same as the number written on the door. But it wouldn't open just yet…

"_Only 3-5 people can pass through one numbered door."_

The door needed at least one more person. Who would that be?

"G-G-G-Get back…" His voice shook, but the knife he held to Chopper's throat made his words a command. Franky took two, then three, steps back.

"No! Farther! More than that! Go all the way back!" Slowly, Franky did what he was told. The 9th Man's lips curled into a cruel, twisted smile. That was when Luffy realized his plan.

Chopper's 4 and Franky's 1… Added to the 9th Man's 9…

4 + 1 + 9 = 14 — 1 + 4 = 5

In other words…

"Hehe… Hehehe… Ehehehehehehe!" the man laughed cruelly. "Th-Thank God you were all so c-cooperative! Now I can get out of this n-nightmare!" He pressed his own hand against the scanner panel. A third asterisk appeared on the screen. He dropped his hand to the lever on the side of the device and pulled.

The door opened with a heavy, metallic groan.

He let go of Chopper.

"Hey, wait!" Luffy leapt toward the 9th Man, but he wasn't fast enough. The man shoved Chopper…

"Aaah!"

…And hopped through the door.

A strange beeping sound could be heard from near the door, starting as soon as he stepped in.

"O-O-Okay, have a good one, guys. I'm going off ahead now. Well then… Goodbye…" He raised his hand and waved, a twisted smirk on his face.

Then he was gone. The door ground shut with a dull clang of metal on metal.

"Chopper! Are you all right!?" Usopp ran to Chopper's side as he lay on the floor.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." He climbed unsteadily to his feet, and once there, leaned heavily on Usopp for support.

Luffy ran to the door. The others followed him. Several pairs of hands grabbed hold of the handles and pulled. They grunted and strained, but…

"Damn it! It won't budge!" Luffy swore. That was when Robin, the raven-haired woman, spoke. Her voice was quiet, yet collected.

"Do you hear something…?"

"Like…what?" Luffy asked.

"Like some sort of…beeping…"

Luffy pressed his ear against the cold metal of the door. The others did the same. The constant, periodic beeping could be heard through the door.

"You're right… I can hear it too." Zoro clarified.

"What is it?" Nami asked.

Then they heard something else.

It was the 9th Man.

"Shit! Why isn't it stopping?! Goddamn it! Y-Y-You l-lied!"

Lied…?

He began pounding and scraping on the door from the inside.

"Th-Th-This wasn't supposed to happen! This is wrong!_ THIS IS WRONG!_" His voice shook with fear. Safe on the outside, they stepped back from the door and looked at one another.

"What is happening in there…?" Franky thought out loud.

"O-O-Open the door! Please! I'm begging you! Help me! Please, get me out of here!"

Sweat rolled down their faces as they stood frozen and listened from the outside.

"_Get me out of here_!"

Luffy grabbed hold of the device. He slammed his hand on the scanner panel. Nothing happened. Why didn't it register him?! He looked at the display where the asterisks had shown up. It said "ENGAGED" in red, digital letters.

"A-Ah… Oh my God, oh my God, there's no time left…! Listen! I was lied to! He lied to me! He put me in here! It was him! He killed me! It was him! A…Aahh… Aaaahhhh… Gyaaaaahhhh!"

*BOOM*

…

…

The explosion rocked the room. Instinctively, they ducked, then stood up slowly when they realized there was no danger.

No one spoke. Silence filled the room.

In that silence, the electronic tone that echoed across the room sounded as loud as a gunshot. All eyes turned toward it. It had come from the device mounted next to the door. The display changed from "ENGAGED" to "VACANT".

"Let's see if we can open it…" Zoro swallowed hard, but his voice was still calm over the rest of the group. Luffy nodded and placed his hand on the scanner panel. A red asterisk appeared on the LCD panel. The device had registered Luffy's bracelet number: 5. His was not enough, however. At least two more people were needed.

"Usopp, Zoro… You think you could give me a hand here?" Luffy snickered at his pun, but the mood was still grim. Both Usopp and Zoro lifted their left hands silently. Slowly, each of them placed their hand on the scanner panel.

5 +2 + 7 = 14 — 1 + 4 = 5

They'd fulfilled the conditions. If they were to pull the lever on the side…

"Are you guys ready? I'm gonna open it." Sweat rolled down each of their faces, and some of them looked like they were about to faint. Zoro and Usopp stiffened and nodded.

Luffy nodded back, and set his mouth in a grim line.

Then he slowly…

lowered…

the lever…

There was a metallic groan, and the door slid open. A breath of air drifted out of it, carrying a stench that nearly made them gag. Luffy grimaced and put a hand over his mouth.

…

"Oh my God…" Robin whispered.

"Good God…"

Robin and Franky shuddered. Zoro grunted.

"Whoa… That's…pretty bad…"

Even Sanji's voice shook, "He…he blew up…"

It appeared that Sanji was right. The hallway on the other side of the door was splattered with chunks of torn flesh and dark, red blood.

"Aaaaaahhhh!"

The shriek echoed across the room. It had come from Nami. Then her strength left her and she dropped— As Luffy turned to catch her, the door groaned shut. She crumpled to the floor.

"Nami! You okay?!" Luffy dropped to his knees and put his arm around her shoulders. That was when he noticed… Her whole body was feverish. She was radiating intense heat.

"What the hell?! Where'd this fever come from?"

Nami didn't answer. Her face looked like wax, and her whole body began to shake.

"All right, let's just rest for a minute, okay? You think you can walk?"

She nodded weakly. Luffy lifted Nami to her feet, and guided her to a nearby chair.

"Here we go…" As gently as he could, he set her down in it.

"How are you feeling? Are you all right?" She nodded, and as she did, a single, huge tear rolled down the side of her face.

"Why… Why did this happen…?" her voice cracked, broken by misery and grief and choked by sobs.

"Why did this happen…?"

Luffy spun around.

"Do any of you know what the hell is going on here!? Who's Zero?! What's this 'Nonary Game'!? C'mon! Anybody? Anything?!" They all looked at him. "What the hell is going on?! What are we doing here?!"

No one spoke. Franky, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Zoro, and Robin… They simply stood there. Chopper was crying, holding onto Usopp's cold hand. Zoro had his eye closed and his head leaned towards the ground. Robin stood next to him, beads of sweat rolling down her normally calm face. Sanji gazed off at nothing in particular, seemingly in some sort of trance…

Nami's body shook with silent sobs. They slowed, as the minutes ticked by, and eventually they stopped.

Then suddenly, in the cold, heavy silence that had enveloped them like a thick fog, a bell began to ring. The clock in the central hall.

7…8…9…10 times…

And then, on the 10th ring, it stopped. The sound of the bell faded away into silence.

* * *

**A/N:** And now you know why I didn't make Brook the 9th Man... I didn't just make him up though, he's someone from One Piece (unfortunately), but you'll find out who later.

Hopefully none of you read this in your dark basement at night, cuz when I first played 999, I did, and it scared the SHIT out of me... I guess it's a good thing you don't get any visuals... Don't worry, the entire story isn't all dark and creepy like this...

Thanks for everything, awesome readers! It would be awesome if you left an awesome review! :)


	4. Zero's Explanation

**A/N:** Aaaaaand I'm back! This chapter is kinda confusing, and short, but it's pretty important.

Thanks for all the reviews everyone! You're all awesome!

I do not own One Piece or 999.

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"It's 10 o'clock, then." Franky said what each one of them had been thinking.

"That means it's been an hour since Zero's little announcement." Zoro's deep voice echoed across the room.

"Fuck! I've had enough of this crap!" Sanji leapt to his feet, his fists clenched. "How long are we gonna sit around like this?! We've only got eight hours until this time limit Zero was going on about is up! Let's get going already!" Sanji's outburst fell on deaf ears. No one seemed to agree with him.

They stared back at him, their eyes blank and their faces tired. Finally, Robin spoke.

"As much as I want to escape, I don't want to end up like him…"

"…Him? You mean the 9th Man?"

"Of course. Who else?"

In his mind's eye, Luffy saw the corpse again.

The dark, reddish-black pool of blood… The scattered pieces of burnt flesh… Organs strewn across the floor like the blossoming of a grotesque flower… The explosion that had torn through his body had been powerful. The 9th Man's neck had been twisted at an odd angle. Luffy suspected the detonation had thrown him against the wall. Half of his face was crushed, and the other half was covered in blood. Most of his abdomen had been emptied, either by the explosion, or by gravity. He had landed on his back, and stark white ribs jutted up out of his chest, like the legs of some sort of macabre crab.

Luffy felt something flip in his stomach.

"I think he just…screwed up." Eyebrows went up, and Sanji continued, looking at the empty floor. "He probably set off some sorta trap, and that killed him. I'm not gonna screw up like that! I'm getting out of here alive!"

"Ha…hahaha…" Usopp laughed nervously. Whatever he was laughing at, Sanji did not find it humorous.

"What's so goddamn funny!?"

"Ha…ha… Oh, I'm sorry… I couldn't help myself…"

"What are you talking about?"

The blind man smiled, "I think you've mistaken the situation."

"Huh?"

"The 9th Man's death. It had nothing to do with a trap. Or, at least, not the sort of trap you think it did."

"Care to explain?"

"He broke one of Zero's rules. That was why he died. It's actually pretty simple if you _think_ about it."

"…?"

"You still don't remember? Think back to what Zero said. Specifically what he said about the number of people."

Sanji rubbed his chin, "He said 'Only 3-5 people can pass through one numbered door.' …Right?"

"And after that…? You've forgotten the important part."

Sanji furrowed his eyebrow in thought.

"'All those who enter must leave, and all who enter must contribute.'" Robin smiled.

"Hey! Don't spoil it!" Usopp frowned at the chuckling woman. "Anyway, yes. The 9th Man broke that rule. He tried to pass through a numbered door by himself. That was why he died."

"Then Zero's watching us from somewhere… Making sure we don't break any rules..." Zoro thought.

"I'm not so sure of that."

"Why not?"

"Because this execution system is entirely automatic. You didn't notice? There's no need for him to monitor us."

Zoro frowned at Usopp, "Will you just cut the crap and get to the point!?" Usopp looked at him a sighed.

"Well, I've waited long enough… I had hoped Zero might spare me the trouble, but…" He couldn't see them, of course, but perhaps Usopp sensed the confused eyes upon him. When Franky spoke, he gave words to everyone else's thoughts.

"Do you know something?!"

"Well, I know a lot of things, but…yes."

"What is it you know?!"

"Here." Usopp removed a card from the pocket of his pants. With a flourish, he presented it to Franky, who pushed his sunglasses up and frowned.

"Come on… What's the point of giving me this?"

"Gimme that." Sanji snatched the card from Franky, but his expression of annoyance quickly turned to one of confusion. "Huh? The hell is this…?"

Zoro tugged it out of Sanji's hands, "Hmm… I see…"

Robin peered over the man's broad shoulder, "Ah... It seems Mr. Long-nose is a special guest…"

Zoro handed the card to Luffy, who waited patiently. He looked at it, but didn't get it.

"Uhh…."

"It's Braille." Zoro told him.

Robin smiled, "Braille. The written language of the blind."

Luffy felt the small bumps filling the paper and handed it back to Usopp.

"I found it in my pocket. I guess it was a message from Zero."

"F-From Zero?" Franky stuttered.

"W-What does it say?!" Nami spoke. Suddenly, everyone was crowding around Usopp, desperate to hear what the message said. Sanji especially looked as if he were about to grab hold of Usopp and shake the answers from him. Usopp raised his hand.

"Alright, alright, I'll read it. Calm down…"

Luffy swallowed hard and waited for him to start. He was not the only one. Presently, Usopp began to read, his voice calm. His fingers glided over the tiny bumps as he spoke.

"_Bracelet number 2… Since you are not blessed with sight, I shall bless you—and only you—with information. I shall tell you of the function of the RED, of the DEAD, and of the bracelet. __The RED is the Recognition Device. It will verify your number. Beside every numbered door, you will find a RED._

_The DEAD is the Deactivation Device. It does exactly what it says. Once you have passed through the numbered door, you must use the DEAD to stop the detonator in your bracelet. But perhaps you are wondering... What does this detonator detonate? I am afraid this may be something of a surprise. I have placed a small bomb inside of you, and the people whom you are about to meet. You swallowed it while you were unconscious. I have no doubt that by the time you read this note, the bomb will have passed your stomach and found its way to your small intestine. In other words, you will be unable to regurgitate it. I suggest you do not try. As I mentioned before, the bracelet on your left hand contains a detonator. Think of it as a remote fuse, or timer, for the bomb in your body. There is only 1 condition which will cause it to detonate. That condition is that you enter a numbered door. Once you have done so, the timer will activate, no matter who you may be. You will have 81 seconds. If, after that time, the detonator has not been deactivated, it will send a signal to the bomb in your body, instructing it to explode. In order to deactivate the detonator, every person who verified their number at the RED must also verify their numbers at the DEAD. Once all numbers have been verified by the DEAD, you need only pull the lever at its side, and the countdown will cease. Anyone who does not verify their number at the RED will find themselves unable to verify their number at the DEAD. That is to say, if you should pass through a numbered door without first verifying your number at the RED, in 81 seconds you will be dead. You must also keep in mind that the numbered doors will close automatically after 9 seconds have passed. So long as the door is open, the DEAD will not function. You would do well to remember this. _

_Lastly, let us discuss how to remove the bracelets. There are only 2 ways to do so. One: You escape from this ship. Two: Your heart rate reaches zero. In other words, once the bracelet is taken outside the confines of the ship, or detects that its wearer's heartbeat has fallen to zero, it will shut down automatically. There is no other way to remove your bracelet. If you attempt to force it off, or disable the detonator, the bomb within you will immediately explode._

_This is all the information which I can impart to you. How you choose to use it is for you to decide. If used wisely, you can eliminate those who might be a danger to you. For a time, you would be able to control your fate. I wish you the best of luck."_

Usopp finished reading, and carefully returned the card to his pocket. The message had been lengthy, but its meaning was clear.

Only those who verified their numbers at the RED could pass through the numbered doors. Teams could not increase or decrease their numbers. Once those who verified at the RED stepped through the door, they would have 81 seconds to verify at the DEAD before the bomb goes off. The REDs, DEADs, and bracelets enforced the rules. They were the judge, jury, and executioner.

In defiance of Zero's suggestions, both Sanji and Zoro put fingers down their throats and began to gag. The rest stiffened. Some touched their stomachs—some simply stared at their bracelets. Luffy gingerly touched his stomach. There was a bomb inside his body.

Why had Zero designed such an insane game? Luffy looked over at the others.

"Okay, I'm gonna ask one more time. Do any of you know anything about this Zero guy?" They were all silent, each person waiting to hear what the others would say. Finally, Sanji spoke.

"Actually, I…I saw him. I saw Zero when I got grabbed. I didn't see his face, though… Son of a bitch was wearing some kinda mask."

There was a moment of silence, and then everyone spoke at once.

"Yeah, I saw him too!"

"Me too!"

"He was wearing a gas mask…"

As stories were sorted out, the truth became clear: All of their stories were the same. They had been abducted at home, at midnight. The person claiming to be Zero had worn a mask. There had been white smoke, and then each person had passed out. When they awoke, they had found themselves on D Deck, in a room with a 3-level bunk bed. Only Zoro's story seemed to lack the detail of the others.

"Oh… Me…? Yeah, well, mine was just like the rest of yours…"

That was all he had said. It had occurred to Luffy at the time that it sounded somewhat strange, but he didn't press the issue. He hadn't done so, because there was something that struck him as even stranger.

That was the mystery of the relationship between Usopp and Chopper. For some reason, they had been abducted from the same room, and woken up in the same room. Luffy looked at them, thoughtfully.

"So what's the deal with you two?" It was Chopper that answered. Clearly, he felt he had nothing to hide.

"We're siblings."

"_Siblings!?"_

"Uh…yes? Usopp is my older brother, obviously. That means I'm his little brother. Is it that hard to understand?"

Luffy, as well as the rest, was taken aback.

"THAT'S SO COOOOL!" he exclaimed. The others looked at him, as well as Chopper and Usopp, like they were insane.

"He's right!" Usopp laughed and put a hand on the deer's hat, "This is my little reindeer brother, Chopper!" Luffy's eyes continued to glow in amazement at the pair, while the others sighed and rubbed their temples.

"It seems as though we have other people here with connections to one another…" Robin smiled at Luffy and Nami.

"Oh, you mean between Luffy and me…?"

Zoro looked at the two, "Yeah. You said you were friends a few years back, right?"

"Yeah. We haven't seen each other in a while, but we know each other," she explained. Luffy grinned at her.

"Hey… You think maybe we could figure out who Zero is this way?" Sanji suggested.

Zoro agreed with the blonde, "Mmm… You're right. You connect the dots between the victims, and that leads you to the perpetrator. Textbook stuff."

Robin looked at the two young friends, "Luffy, Nami, does any of this ring a bell?"

They looked at one another, and like it was staged, they both tilted their neck at the same time.

Zoro spoke up again, "Does anyone know any big-time pirates or agents that have the power to set this all up…?"

"I don't think this is the work of just an individual. I think it's the work of an organization. Zero is most likely simply the representative of a larger group, possibly a pirate crew or the World Government," Franky said.

"Perhaps this is just some sort of psychological experiment…"

Zoro looked at Robin with a frown, "If it is, then it's a pretty fucked up experiment. I mean, a guy's _dead_!"

The word 'dead' hung in the air, heavy and ominous. The room went quiet again. Sanji spoke up.

"I dunno who the hell this Zero asshole is, but I know for sure he's gotta be pretty screwed up in the head to do all this. If this was all one guy, then he's got some serious issues."

Even with the spectre of death hanging over them, their discussions continued for some time. In the end, however, they learned nothing. By the time they finished, an hour and a half of their nine hours were gone. All they had to show for it was impatience.

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**A/N:** Yes! Done! We're on a roll! This chapter was originally coupled to the last one, but I didn't want a 7,000 word chapter, so I just split it. That's why this one was kinda short... If your confused and you have any questions relating to the plot, please don't hesitate to ask through a review or a PM. This stuff is important in regards to the story, but I'm sure you'll understand later on.

I'm tired... I need a nap...


	5. The Numbered Doors

**A/N: **Hey everyone, I'm back! This chapter is _extremely_ short, but it's like a checkpoint to this story, so yeah...

I don't own anything.

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"Man… Look we only have seven and a half hours left, okay? You really sure you want to just sit around?" Sanji said. No one was willing to argue this time.

"Alright then," Franky agreed, "There's only one way for us to proceed."

Zoro frowned, "Sure not gonna be fun running around knowing we gotta jump when Zero says _jump_."

"Well, we can't just sit around here doing nothing!" Chopper squeaked.

"Thanks to Mr. Long-nose's card, at least we have an idea of how this all works." Robin motioned towards Usopp.

"Right. And so long as we follow the rules, we should…ah…we will most likely be all right."

Nami looked at Luffy nervously, "But… Who's going to go in which door?" Nami looked towards the numbered doors.

"Oh yeah… That's right. We can't have any more than 5 people in one door." Luffy mumbled.

"So all 8 of us can't go in the same door…" Zoro finished.

Franky sighed, "Well, it seems we'll have to split up…" Chopper gulped at the older man's words.

"S-Split up?"

"W-Wait!" Nami spoke up. She looked terrified. "I'm telling you now; there is no way in _hell_ I'm going into door 5!"

"Oh come on… Suck it up…" grunted the green-haired man.

"Call me whatever the hell you want, I'm not going in there! If I'm going to have to walk through all that blood, then I'd rather stay here!"

"_Sigh…_ And we were doing so well…" Franky pouted. Sanji spoke up.

"Sorry, but I ain't going in there either. Someone else can go into door 5."

"Oh, Sanji not you too…"

"Hey man, I just polished these shoes and dry cleaned my suit. If you think I'm getting some creepy guy's blood all over them, you got another thing coming."

Zoro seemed to crack, "What the fuck are you talking about!? You're the one who said we should keep going!"

The blonde frowned at the green-haired man, "Yeah? So? Doesn't mean I wanted to go into door 5. Maybe you should think before you talk, moss head."

Robin sighed at the man, "Oh my…"

There was an awkward silence. Finally, Zoro calmed down and spoke.

"Fine. I'll go into door 5." Everyone looked up at the man, "I can't go in there alone, though. Anyone else willing to come with me?"

There was another long silence. Robin was about to say something, when Usopp broke the silence first.

"I'll go."

Chopper looked terrified, "W-What?!"

"Don't worry, Chopper. You'll be fine. We may part now, but I'm sure we'll meet again later."

"How do you know that?!"

"Because I do."

"That's not an answer! If you're going, I'm going too! I'm going into door 5!"

"What am I going to do with you…?"

Franky broke the two way conversation and stepped forward, "There's nothing you have to do. If I join you, the problem's solved, right? Zoro is 7 and you're 2. And if you add Chopper's 4 and my 1, the digital root will be 5."

7 + 2 + 4 + 1 = 14 — 1 + 4 = 5

"Oh! It works perfectly!" Chopper yelled happily, "The 4 of us can go into door 5—"

"Wait." Zoro interrupted, "What about the other 4? What's their digital root gonna be?"

Robin, Sanji, Nami, and Luffy remained. Their bracelet numbers were 8, 3, 6, and 5.

"Simple. It would be 4." Robin chuckled at the group, "I suppose we've found our way…"

8 + 3 + 6 + 5 = 22 — 2 + 2 = 4

She was right.

"Then we can go into door 4," clarified Nami.

"Yeah. Huh, that worked out well," Sanji agreed.

Luffy ran over the team assignments in his head once more.

4 people would go into door 5: Zoro, Usopp, Chopper, and Franky.

4 people would go into door 4: Robin, Sanji, Nami, and Luffy.

Luffy had to ask himself if the teams were what he really wanted. Behind door 5 was what remained of the 9th Man. He never wanted to see that…_thing_ again, but… Something in him said it would be unwise not to examine the corpse even a little closer. Of course, if he went through door 5, he wouldn't be going with Nami and Sanji. Robin didn't seem like she would have any problem going into door 5, but he wasn't exactly sure.

Luffy was torn.

Should he stay silent, and go through door 4 with Nami? Or should he stop them all, and insist on door 5? As he turned his options over and over in his mind Franky spoke up.

"All right then… It seems we've reached a conclusion. We ready?" He began to walk toward door 5… Chopper and Usopp followed, with Zoro a short distance behind.

Luffy hesitated. Zoro noticed.

"Something wrong?"

...

_If you want to follow Luffy through door 4 with Robin, Sanji, and Nami, read Chapter 6 next. Read the even chapters from here on out._

_If you want to follow Luffy through door 5 with different teams, read Chapter 7 next. Read the odd chapters from here on out._

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**A/N:** I bet you've never had a choice like this before, have you? You have two choices, but please, pick one and STICK WITH IT! If you pick door 4, read even numbered chapters from now on. If you pick door 5, read odd numbered chapters from now on. I'll be writing two chapters for each update from now on, so each path will be updated each time. That means both chapter 6 and 7 will be up next time I update. I don't really know how this'll turn out, but whatever...

Thanks everyone! I'm curious to know your decisions and see which route is more popular, so drop in a review!


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